On the south side of Columbus, in a low-income neighborhood, is an early education and child care program that this year celebrates its 100th anniversary. But the work being done within its walls has little to do with the traditional 4-year-old nursery school model. Quite the contrary. The work being done in recent years at South Side Early Learning is on the cutting edge of an early-child education revolution. And it starts when children are just six weeks old. “We get babies ready for life,” said SSEL CEO Colin Page McGinnis. “About 93 percent of brain development happens before age 3. That’s the sweet spot where we need to focus.” “We only have 2,000 days to do this work. The model is broken, and really hasn’t been innovated since the last 1960s. It needs to be whole-family, intentional and it needs to start as early as possible, it needs to start at six weeks.” Based on the SSEL’s innovative approach, outstanding results and Colin’s leadership, The Connor Group Kids & Community Partners is investing $2.2 million over five years to help grow the program’s impact in its current location and beyond. SSEL’s model is based on early-intervention, data-backed decision making, […]
Dayton, Ohio – Real estate and technology entrepreneur Larry Connor successfully completed three dives in just five days to the deepest ocean depths in the Mariana Trench this month, less than 10 months before he’s scheduled to pilot the first private mission to the International Space Station. He is on pace to make history as the first person to accomplish both feats within 12 months. Connor, managing partner of The Connor Group, dove with Patrick Lahey, president and co-founder of Triton Submarines, in a Triton 36000/2, named the DSV Limiting Factor. The pair gathered high-quality video footage and samples in the ‘hadal zone’ or the area of the ocean below 20,000 ft. – the final frontier of exploration on Earth. “It was an amazing and surreal experience that went wonderfully well thanks to the incredibly talented and committed crew,” Connor said. “The technological advances, specifically by Triton’s record-breaking, first-of-its-kind submersible Limiting Factor, are nothing short of impressive.” Connor and Lahey gathered footage of never-before-seen areas of the ocean floor. They captured footage of the Mariana snailfish (Pseudoliparis swirei), the only species of fish known to survive at a depth of 26,240 ft., or nearly the height of Mt. Everest, […]
Dayton, Ohio – Real estate and technology entrepreneur Larry Connor will embark on an exploration of the deepest known points of the ocean just nine months before he pilots a private mission to the International Space Station. The two expeditions will make Connor just the third person in history to travel to both inner and outer space. Connor, managing partner of The Connor Group, will partner this month with EYOS Expeditions and Caladan Oceanic to explore both the Challenger Deep and the Sirena Deep in the Mariana Trench, located in the Pacific Ocean near Guam. The ‘hadal zone,’ or the area of the ocean below 20,000 ft., is considered the last frontier of exploration on Earth. The focus is groundbreaking scientific research that will take Connor to depths of 35,856 ft. and 35,150 feet, respectively, using the Hadal Exploration System (HES), the world’s only deep exploration facility. Only one other mission has ever traveled to the bottom of the Sirena Deep in the Mariana Trench; Connor’s dive will be the second. “I’m honored to be among that group,” Connor said. “More importantly, I’m thrilled to be part of this expedition and have the opportunity to conduct valuable scientific research.” The […]
Dayton, Ohio – Real estate and technology entrepreneur Larry Connor will pilot a historic proposed private mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Houston-based Axiom Space announced Connor as part of its four-person, multinational crew for Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1). Ax-1 will be comprised of the first fully private crew to visit the ISS in human history, making Connor the first private astronaut mission pilot in the history of space travel. “I believe space is the last great frontier,” Connor said. “I’m thrilled and honored to be a part of this historic mission.” Connor began flying in 2007 and has flown 16 different aircrafts, including an F-5 fighter jet. Connor is a rated helicopter pilot and a five-time winner of aerobatic competitions who has participated in multiple events at the U.S. National Aerobatic Championships. The rest of the crew consists of Axiom VP and former NASA astronaut Michael López-Alegría (commander of Ax-1), Eytan Stibbe of Israel, and Canadian Mark Pathy on the no-earlier-than January 2022 mission. Connor and the other crew members will undergo Axiom training to live and work on the ISS, subject to final approval by NASA and the ISS International Partners. Connor is the founder and […]
Dec. 17, 2020 – The Connor Group successfully closed $183 million in acquisitions over the course of eight days. The Dayton-based real estate investment firm expanded in three markets and is on pace to exceed $1.3 billion in transactions in 12 months. “We’ve found in times of adversity; there are plenty of opportunities if you have the right people, plans and processes,” managing partner and CEO Larry Connor said. “As a result, we’ve acquired three phenomenal properties in key markets where we’ve been extremely selective.” Connor Group re-entered the Indianapolis market with the acquisition of The Domain at Bennett Farms, a 219-unit property. The $40.5 million purchase is located in the Zionsville area and “checked all of the boxes” for the acquisitions team. It’s the first property it’s purchased in Indianapolis in more than a decade. “Frankly, we’ve been searching in Indianapolis for the last three years,” Connor said. “It’s currently one of the top growth markets in the Midwest, and it’s a market where we will deliver exceptional results for our investors.” In Tampa, the real estate investment firm closed a $93.25 million deal Tuesday, acquiring Bayside Arbors. The 436-unit property is the second acquisition in the Tampa area, […]
